For 15+ years, I commuted long distances to my job in Atlanta (30+ miles took 90+ minutes each way). I felt disconnected from my hometown community and had no sense of civic purpose. Then I met Janelle and the rest of the Foundation to Fly team. In all honesty, I have never seen such an impassioned, motivated, and empathetic group of women. Working with Foundation to Fly and witnessing their unwavering passion to make a difference in girls’ lives inspired me to want to work with them. As the new President, I aspire to not only strengthen the organization through solid financial oversight, strategic planning, and fundraising, but to also ensure that Foundation to Fly makes its programs available to as many girls as possible, while also fulfilling volunteers passion for giving. And by the way, I now have a 10 minute commute!

SERVICE VP – PAULA BROCKMEYER – Service@FoundationtoFly.com

As a professional working in the Pharmaceutical and Medical Device industry for 24 years I see firsthand how important it is to be confident and self-assured in order to be successful. You have to believe in yourself in order to truly be a good leader. I have experienced the struggles of overcoming my own shyness and self-doubt as a young adult in the business world. Now as a seasoned professional and a working mother with a daughter, I am thrilled to be part of Foundation to Fly where the mission is empowering girls of all ages, to be confident, self-assured leaders with an understanding of their impact on the world around them.

TREASURER- CRISTY CHESTER

FUNDRAISING – AMANDA IRWIN – YouMatter@FoundationtoFly.com

I work in an administrative role for a healthcare company where I just celebrated nine years. My husband and I just celebrated 12 years of marriage. We love traveling and do so when given the chance. I enjoy meeting new people and hearing their stories. Through the years, it has been incredible what I have learned through these conversations. In my free time, I enjoy spending time with family and friends and doing volunteer work. Janelle and I met in college and I feel blessed to know such a wonderful woman. I believe the mission of Foundation to Fly is important because it is not easy being a girl, especially in today’s world. I am passionate about empowering girls because throughout my youth and even adult life, I witnessed firsthand how some girls act towards one another and it has not always been pleasant. I strive to redirect the behavior of this generation of young girls by teaching them how to be kind to one another, while finding their true selves, so that their insecurities will subside and instead they will have the courage to reach out and help fellow girls in need. By empowering girls to embrace themselves and their gifts, the sky will be the limit for how they can change the world.

MARKETING – AMY MARKHAM – Marketing@FoundationtoFly.com

Hi! I have been married to my William & Mary college sweetheart for 9 amazing years and have a 5 year old daughter and a 4 year old son. They are the greatest blessings in my life and bring me more joy than I could have ever imagined. My story starts all the way back to over 5 years ago when I first met Janelle and she told me about Foundation To Fly and all that it stands for. Ever since that day, I have been constantly drawn to this wonderful organization and am finally in a place in my life where I can commit and dedicate my time to serving Foundation To Fly. Being a girl in our society today is not easy. We have all sorts of distorted reality being thrown at us on a daily basis about how we should look, what we should wear, how we should act, and who we should be. Girls need to know that they are perfect just the way they are. I truly believe that our Roots and Wings program is a program that ALL young girls need and can benefit from, and I am here to do all that I can to empower girls to spread their wings and be self-assured leaders in our world. My 5 year old daughter just started Kindergarten this year, and I have already started instilling these same values into her little life. I want her to be a Roots and Wings girl- a girl that is confident and proud of whom she is, a girl that connects with and cares for others, a girl that is a leader and makes a difference in our world.

ADVISOR – KANYA GLYMPH – YouMatter@FoundationtoFly.com

My name is Kanya Glymph and I am a Licensed Professional Counselor in the State of Georgia. My service with Roots and Wings is based on gratitude and faith. In working with Foundation to Fly, I am able to express my deep gratitude for the love and encouragement my daughter received as a member of Roots and Wings for three years. She truly had an affirming and uplifting experience during her years in Roots and Wings, and for this, I am eternally grateful and appreciative.

As an exercise of faith, I will contribute my energy and skills to helping further the mission of Foundation to Fly. I believe and have faith that the efforts of just a few can bring positive growth for many! As I see it, helping girls to be confident and self-assured in the present leads to empowered, well-adjusted women of the future. So again, I serve in faith and gratitude.